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Today, the members of the Sisters of Divine Providence Social Concerns Committee are beginning an online course on Human Trafficking on Coursera. The course is being taught by Jacquelyn Meshelemiah, Phd from Ohio State University who teaches there in the Social Work Department.

Coursera is a program through which people from around the world can have access to all kinds of education from major universities at no cost, so we are taking advantage, along with 26,000 others who are presently enrolled, of this opportunity to learn about human trafficking.

On another topic, may our Provident God bless all of the people of Ferguson, Missouri. We ask God’s blessing on the young man who was killed, the man who killed him, their families and friends, and all of the people who have been driven to the streets because of racism and oppression that continues to infect our country.

Also, just wanted to put in another great quotation from our founder, Bishop Ketteler:

“Today, the haves and the have-nots confront each other with animosity, and the poverty of the masses grows daily.”

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St. Louise de Marillac– Co-Founder with St. Vincent de Paul of the Daughters of Charity* For all peoples of the world who work to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Also, take a look at this article in the Philadelphia Tribune. I have to say that never having lived in Philly, I know nothing about the Tribune and what kind of newspaper it is. I did note in the article that it was noted that a man convicted for human trafficking was African-American, and this seemed to have no relevance anywhere else in the article, but it does give some information as to where Pennsylvania stands with Human Trafficking. Next…we look at some other states.

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At a meeting I attended, a message was received from Bishop David Zubik, Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, by way of a previously recorded video. Although the Bishop was unable to attend this community meeting, held to discuss the 35 refugee children offered shelter by Sr. Linda Yankoski of the Holy Family Institute, he felt it important to let the people of his diocese know where he and the Church stand on this issue.

Bishop Zubik asserted something that many of us who are committed to a consistent ethic of life believe and that is, “Being pro-life requires we protect and care for vulnerable persons from conception to natural death.”

While there seem to be many things upon which we in the Catholic Church have yet to agree, but when it comes to protecting and caring for vulnerable persons, we are truly one.

Bishop Zubik went on to make a statement that we don’t hear near often enough. He said that while we have a need to respect the law and to have secure borders, we also must consider why people are fleeing from their homelands.

Why are our neighbors to the south (and elsewhere around the world for that matter) suffering with so much poverty while so many of us in the United States live in comparable safety and comfort? What about our history in these countries? Our trade policies? Does the United States have some responsibility for the poverty (and all that goes with that) that is now knocking so loudly at our door? If so, is the care of these refugees a matter of charity or is it a matter of justice?

I would love to hear from anyone who has read this. What do you think? What do you know on this subject?

If you are interested in knowing more about U.S. involvement in the “developing world”, I would recommend a book that really changed my perspective called “Rogue State, A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower”, by William Blum. I will admit that Blum is kind of an aging hippie journalist, but he has a long history in the field and I believe he has something to teach us. Anyway, you can get his book on Amazon very inexpensively.

Also, if you want to read the rest of the article on Bishop Zubik and the refugee children, here is the link: